


Transform

by changingshadows



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band), TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Mild Smut, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:35:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21910828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/changingshadows/pseuds/changingshadows
Summary: Three years ago, Sana shifted into a wolf for the first time.Three years later, she met Momo.
Relationships: Chou Tzuyu/Son Chaeyoung, Hirai Momo/Minatozaki Sana, Im Nayeon/Yoo Jeongyeon, Kim Dahyun/Lee Gahyeon, Myoui Mina/Park Jisoo | Jihyo
Comments: 3
Kudos: 156





	Transform

Moons travel through eight phases. No matter what phase it’s in, the moon is forever there.

It was during one evening walk by the light of the moon that Sana had happen to her what she thought was impossible by all accounts. How did she know she was the chosen Omega?

“Minatozaki Sana, I wager?”

The voice was spine tingling, enough for Sana to say the source of the cold was the woman from which those words came out.

She had turned around and saw, standing just metres from her, not one woman, but two.

“I am Im Nayeon, this is my partner, or mate, Yoo Jeongyeon. Again, you are Minatozaki Sana, correct?”

Sana felt weak at the knees. She didn’t know how to respond. All she could do was stare into this woman’s eyes and wonder what the fuck she wanted. Upon doing that, however, she noticed something different about them. Not just how glazed over they were. Not how the whites of her eyes were covered in abnormally red veins, but also...the colour.

They were a pale icy blue that Sana had never seen before. If she wasn’t mistaken, Sana was sure that they were both wearing eye contacts. She took a note of the other woman, Yoo Jeongyeon’s eyes. A pale, even icier green. _‘What the hell is going on?’_ she had wondered.

Im Nayeon stepped forward, her heeled boots making the snow crunch beneath her feet. Waving a hand in front of Sana’s face, she snapped, though it seemed so calm against the wind, “Excuse me? Are you deaf? I am Im Nayeon. This is Yoo Jeongyeon. Now, I ask you a third and final time, are you Minatozaki Sana?”

Sana gulped suddenly and took a precarious step back. She nodded faintly.

“Finally. Right, this is for you.” From Jeongyeon’s hand to Nayeon’s, a vial filled with a berry-toned liquid was passed over. Immediately, Sana backed away even further, seriously confused as to what was happening. The snow kept falling, and some of it got caught in Sana’s lashes. Jeongyeon noticed how the flakes glistened against her eyes.

“The snow attaches itself quickly to those who are chosen.”

Sana knitted her eyebrows. For the first time, she spoke, “Okay, who the fuck _are_ you?” She rubbed her eyes of the snow for it to only stay there. “Why are you here? How do you know my name?”

Needless to say, Sana was very creeped out.

“I am not telling you our names for a fourth time, but, seeing as you asked so nicely,” the sarcasm was strong with Nayeon, “myself and my partner lead a pack of wolves. You are one of the chosen Omegas. It is somewhat unfortunate however that our chosen Omega was born a human and isn’t aware of their ancestry. Oh well. Drink this.”

Sana knitted her eyebrows. Looked back and forth between the vial and the two women.

“You’ve got to be out of your mind if you think I’m gonna drink that, _or_ listen to what you two have to say.” Scoffing, Sana turned on her heels and stormed away.

It wasn’t long before a shock to her spine sent her collapsing to the floor. Nayeon and Jeongyeon quickly joined her. One look up at Jeongyeon and Sana knew who to “thank” for the shock.

“Listen, Sana, we haven’t got time for you to be messing around. Please just do as we say and drink this, you’ll feel a whole lot better for it!” The smile that Nayeon tried to muster up was clearly her trying too hard to make Sana come around. The blonde stood up and brushed herself down, but the snow wouldn’t leave her. She kept brushing, flicking it over, rubbing it away, but it wouldn’t budge.

“See? What did I say?” Jeongyeon tutted. Sana looked at her with narrow eyes and an all-too-pissed-off-to-deal-with-this expression.

“Just fuck off you two, got it? I don’t know who you are, but the fact that you know me is freaking me out. I will not drink that goddamn vial of whatever the fuck it is, and you two can just leave me alone!” Sana pushed through Nayeon and Jeongyeon. The Alpha and Beta (respectively) stared at one another.

“Don’t make us send you falling to the floor again, Minatozaki,” Nayeon quipped.

Sana physically brushed them off by waving her hand in the hair and continuing to walk. Nayeon nodded at Jeongyeon once before another shock hit Sana’s back and once again, she was down on the floor.

Sana covered her face with one hand and she knelt on the ground.

“Sufficit!” Nayeon said loudly. Sana froze. She knew that word. More importantly she knew what it meant.

 _‘Oh no… oh no, no, no…’_ Slowly, she stood up from the ground.

_Sufficit!_

_Enough!_

_“_ _Lapidibus propulsant decidit,”_ Nayeon whispered. Her eyes were serious. They stared at one another. Sana eyed the vial.

 _Lapidibus propulsant decidit._ Shield from fallen stones.

There was a reason Sana knew so much Latin from a young age.

Sana knew she should drink that vial. For _Lapidibus propulsant decidit_ meant something so close to her family. So true. It held something so powerful.

The Alpha and Beta knew she understood. Handed her the vial.

“A wolf must lead. A wolf must serve. A wolf must protect,” Nayeon added.

Sana carefully took the vial like it was the most fragile thing she could touch. She took out the cork, and brought the brim to her lips.

“Lapidibus propulsant decidit,” she whispered to herself before drinking all of the liquid. It tasted of blood yet much thinner in texture. It stayed on her tongue and reminded her of bad medicine. She wished she could have had some sugar to sweeten it slightly.

In an instant, she dropped the glass on the floor, along with the cork.

“Remove your coat, Sana. It will make this a lot easier,” Jeongyeon told her. Sana followed the instruction and threw the coat to the floor. Thankfully, they were in a shielded part of the woods.

Suddenly, her feet gave way and she fell to her knees. Her hands broke her fall as her bones began to crack in the most unnatural way. She wanted to scream but her vocal cords wouldn’t let her, as breathy gasps left her mouth.

“Breathe Sana, you need to breathe,” Jeongyeon told her sternly.

She tried as hard as she could but it felt like the transformation was trapping her lungs in a vice. Her heart pounded furiously in her ears as she was forced to sit back on her rear. Then, her legs bent backwards and it almost made her throw up to see.

A vein popped in Sana’s forehead. Two. Three. She wanted to back out. She didn’t want to do this, but knew it was too late. As soon as she had heard the words, it triggered something within her. She knew where those words came from. In her mind, she had tried to deny it for so long. Sana never believed her family when they told her they came from a long line of wolves, and that she was destined to shift one day.

As she did so, she watched Nayeon and Jeongyeon shift into their wolf form. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She knew that this would be her life.

Her fingernails clawed at the snow as real claws formed from her fingertips. Her legs bent inwards so her feet were at her waist in front of her. Still, screams would not emerge.

Her back broke multiple times as her arms started to shake. It was at this point that Nayeon shifted back into a human. Being the Alpha meant she didn’t need to strip to shift, if she didn’t want to, that is.

“You have to push through, Sana. Don’t fight it. Let it take over.”

Sana cried hard, her pain manifesting in the form of bruises, redness and dislocation everywhere. Soon enough, fur began to erupt from the skin. Light grey fur. Her claws were a mix of deep grey and brown and her face was contorting to take the shape of a snout. She was in the final stages.

Sana’s skull felt like it was crushing her brain. Her two back legs formed and in a few seconds, she was a wolf completely.

The physical and mental strain made Sana crumble to the floor. She passed out immediately.

Nayeon and Jeongyeon stood either side of Sana’s body. Jeongyeon nuzzled her nose in Sana’s neck slightly, as Nayeon ran her hand on Sana’s nose.

All Sana could think of at that point was her grandfather looking down from above and saying to her, _Doesn’t seem so impossible now, huh?_

 _‘No, grandfather,’_ she thought. _‘Their words were what told me.’_

\---

Three years ago, Sana became a wolf. By day she was a wolf, by night she was a human. Her Alpha and Beta wondered why she didn’t just choose to shift whenever she wanted to, but Sana decided that it was too risky to be doing that when she still had her own home, and was six months into a job.

For a few days after she shifted, Sana got used to the feeling of being a wolf. She patrolled the woods, taught herself how to hunt and learned from her seniors what to eat. Sana wondered if there were any vampire packs that were their pack’s enemies, but Nayeon had told her that this wasn’t the same story.

They were simply wolves, who were sworn to stay that way until the day they died.

Sana wondered if there would ever be a way to break free from it. No longer be a wolf and go back to being a normal life.

“But you _can_ live a normal life,” Jeongyeon had told her. “You can live a quote-end-quote normal life when you are a human.”

And Sana had to agree with her. Sana had to accept that this was now the norm.

“How hard is it for you to live your lives as wolves?” she had asked them one day.

“Not very hard,” Nayeon had told her. “We mostly live our lives as humans, only shifting to wolves when we need to.”

“But...why are we even wolves in the first place if there’s no greater reason? No greater purpose?”

Nayeon simply patted her on the head. “You ask too many questions, dear.”

It wasn’t Sana’s fault she was so curious. Suddenly hearing words that meant so much to her and realising very quickly and all at once that her family _was_ being truthful left Sana with more questions than answers.

It wasn’t long before Sana met the rest of the pack. They were a small pack, but very close knit.

“This is Dahyun and Chaeyoung,” Jeongyeon had told her. _“_ Sisters. Dahyun’s quiet. Chaeyoung’s a little shit.”

“Oi! Bitch,” Chaeyoung replied to her.

“See?”

Sana couldn’t help but chuckle. She turned and saw a third wolf.

“Oh, this is Tzuyu. Chaeyoung’s mate. Newest addition, only arrived a few months ago.”

Sana watched Chaeyoung shift into her wolf form to sit beside Tzuyu, who was already a wolf. Chaeyoung had black fur, Tzuyu had light brown fur. Dahyun had white fur. Nayeon’s wolf was deep hazel brown, Jeongyeon’s was a darker grey than Sana’s wolf.

Sana glanced around the room. Their pack lived in a small house, deeper into the woods than where Sana shifted for the first time. They told her she could live with them, but Sana declined.

Transforming back into her wolf, she stepped outside and glanced at the sky. For the first time, she howled. It was quite quiet, and from inside, she could hear one of the others, she assumed and later found out was Chaeyoung, responding with a much louder howl.

Sana didn’t know where she would end up, but she already felt a home among them.

They were already her family, whether she liked it or not.

\---

Three years as a wolf and Sana always found herself in the same spot of the woods. The spot where she shifted for the first time. It was where she felt her most comfortable. It was the part she knew the most.

Wolves weren’t typically seen in Korea, so whenever someone saw Sana, it was like she was a magical being. People took pictures, and she couldn’t help but pose a little when someone did. She knew she couldn’t have anyone know she was actually a human, but it was like second nature to her.

One evening, less than an hour before she would be shifting back into a human, she laid on top of a rock, her eyes a little heavy. Being a wolf was still quite tiring.

Before she could shut her eyes however, she noticed someone in the distance. Someone with long black hair and a fringe that covered her forehead. She wore a big winter coat and her boots made the snow crunch in the same way that Nayeon’s had done did three years before.

Sana immediately sat up at the sight of the stranger. She was smiling at some woodland creatures as she passed, her hands - more than likely gloved - stuffed in her pockets.

It wasn’t long before she glanced up and noticed the wolf, noticed Sana, sat up on the rock.

“Oh, wow…” she said to herself, before pulling out her phone.

Sana’s shyness amplified at the fact it was this specific woman who was about to take a picture. She looked down at her front legs as the stranger took a photo.

The gorgeous stranger whose hair swayed in the wind. Sana took a note of every feature. The way she smiled.

“Hey there. I’m Momo.”

Sana nearly fell off the rock.

Her heart started beating so loudly. She would think herself crazy to even have the mindset that she was ready to risk it all for the woman standing in front of her.

 _‘Momo,’_ she thought. _‘Momo.’_

Sana knew her name now.

There was no going back.

“What a beautiful wolf you are,” Momo said softly, her hand reaching out to stroke the fur. Sana stood to attention, her ears pricking up and her tail swaying.

Her human was _screaming_ internally.

 _‘What a beautiful woman_ **_you_ ** _are,’_ Sana thought.

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” Momo was gentle. Momo was cautious. She took light steps towards Sana before her fingers made contact with the fur. Sana had never let anyone do this, but as soon as she felt Momo’s fingers through her fur, she immediately relaxed into her touch. Then she heard Momo giggle, and it was like music to her ears before watching her step backwards to sit on the bench opposite.

Then the weight of the situation fell down on her like a ton of bricks. Sana remembered her place. Glanced up at Momo with glassy eyes. The dark-haired woman tilted her head to the side, trying to read the wolf’s expression. That was when Sana darted away from her, jumping down from the rock and running away at the speed of light.

Momo watched as the wolf went into hiding.

Sana knew she couldn’t come out any longer; soon, she was going to change back into a human.

Biting her bottom lip, Momo stood up slowly. She then kicked at the ground beneath her feet and said out loud, “It was...nice to meet you!” Sana thought her heart was going to explode. Momo was too precious for words.

She heard footsteps as Momo walked in the opposite direction, the sound growing quieter and fainter. Sana decided to shift back into a human early, before quickly changing in the underbrush and peering over the top of the hedges. Her eyes found Momo instantly.

Why could she suddenly feel tears pooling around her eyes?

Quickly wiping them away, she scolded herself.

_‘Don’t cry over her. There’s no use. You haven’t developed feelings.’_

But the beating of her heart at the sound of Momo’s giggle told her otherwise.

\--

“I know that look in your eye, Sana,” Chaeyoung teased her. Sana’s eyes flickered up, like a lighter catching flame.

“I have _no_ idea what you’re talking about, Chae.”

Snorting, Chaeyoung pushed herself away from the kitchen counter in their house and sauntered up to Sana. Hooking her left arm around Sana’s right, Chaeyoung nudged her chin against the blonde’s shoulder and said, “You’ve got a little crush on someone haven’t you?”

Sana could feel her face growing hot. She _didn’t_ have a crush. Absolutely not, that thought was absurd. She didn’t. She _didn’t._

Chaeyoung gasped, “You _do,_ don’t you? Hey everyone!” Her voice grew louder and Sana winced slightly. “Sana’s got a little bit of a crush on an unknown someone!” The younger woman seemed very excited about it.

Everyone came into the kitchen. Sana felt cornered. It was like an interrogation was about to take place.

“So, who’s the mysterious person?” Nayeon wondered.

“It’s no one, I don’t have a crush on anyone, you’re all crazy for thinking so,” Sana said defensively.

“Yeah, and I don’t shift into a wolf whenever I want to,” Nayeon retorted. They met eyes from either side of the kitchen counter. Sana exhaled. She couldn’t deny it. Momo’s face had come to her every night since they met. _Met._ Such an odd way of putting it. They hadn’t technically _met_ per se, but they were definitely both aware of the other’s existence.

Well, Momo was aware of _half_ of Sana’s existence.

It had been a week.

“Okay, fine,” Sana relented. “It’s a woman.”

“Ooh, who?” Chaeyoung persisted.

“I saw her walking through the woods.” Momo’s face came back to Sana as she explained. “She has long black hair that goes to her mid-back, dark brown eyes that seemed so warm and comforting, a smile so gentle…”

“Did you introduce yourself?” Tzuyu asked.

“Oh God, no, no, no, no,” Sana almost laughed while saying. “Definitely not.”

Their faces fell. “Why not?” Jeongyeon tilted her head to the side.

Sana’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe they were actually upset at this. “Um, because, I’m a _wolf?_ She’s a _human?”_ Her tone of voice got her point across that she was clearly confused at their reactions.

“Uh, Sana? You’re not _just_ a wolf, you _can_ shift into a human, y’know?” Dahyun raised an eyebrow.

The older woman rolled her eyes, “Yes I _do_ know that, _but,”_ she held up a finger to emphasise her point, “I think it would have been a bit weird to be like, _oh, hi, my name’s Sana, yes I am the wolf you just met!”_ Her hand dropped to rest on top of the other.

“Well, then wait in the forest for her _as_ a human. Meet her as a human. It’s clear you want to get to know her more, and you’re in the woods more often than we are, so just wait for her there.”

Sana pursed her lips in thought. She _could,_ although she wasn’t sure if it would work.

“I wouldn’t be able to keep my life as a wolf from her forever.”

“No, true but, don’t come right out the gate with that. Let her get to know _Sana._ The _human,”_ Nayeon suggested, standing up straight.

Sana tugged at her bottom lip.

_Let her get to know Sana. The human._

“Fine. I will.”

\--

It was the biggest decision Momo had ever made to pack up and move her entire life to a different country, but she needed change. Realising her life was going nowhere fast staying at home, she made the choice to pack everything up and move to Korea. It was just across the water, but she was someplace new. To restart everything.

Momo had moved to Gyeongju and had only been there for two months before she decided to go exploring in its national park one evening. She had always been interested in nature, and it was a nice change of pace to go walking through the quiet park when the moon was shining.

That first evening, she came across something she had never seen before.

A wolf.

It had light grey fur, and its ears were pricked up. The wolf was sitting on the top of a rock some metres away, and for a few seconds, it didn’t look in Momo’s direction.

That was until they met eyes.

Momo stepped forward, her hands in her pockets. The wolf kept its eyes locked on Momo as the wind picked up speed. Momo took out her phone and captured a picture, the wolf looking down at its paws and seemingly posing for the photo. Chuckling, the dark-haired woman introduced herself, “Hey there. I’m Momo.”

She always liked to interact with animals, that’s just the kind of person she was. Momo was particularly interested in this wolf, curious as to where it came from, how it ended up here, what kind of wolf it was, and how long it had been in this park.

“What a beautiful wolf you are.” And it was the truth. She took a few more steps forward and the wolf appeared to look away. Like it was shy. Momo chuckled to herself before reaching her hand out to stroke the wolf’s fur. The wolf reacted then, and it stood up. “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.”

Momo then managed to touch its fur; she stroked the wolf a few times and the animal relaxed. The fur was soft, not scratchy at all. Momo giggled, then stopped after a while and backed away to sit on the bench opposite.

There was something else about this wolf. The way it reacted to certain things. The way it looked up at her. She cocked her head to the side to try and read its expression, but then watched as the wolf ran away as fast as possible into hiding.

Momo’s eyes widened at the sudden movement. She then realised it was getting late. Standing up, she bit her lip, kicked at the ground and said, “It was...nice to meet you!” She didn’t know what else to say. A part of her felt that it was a little crazy that she was speaking to a wolf, because she always questioned whether animals could actually hear what people were saying to them.

She began to walk away, only stopping for a brief time to consider her thoughts for just a few seconds.

_‘What if the wolf could hear me? How weird would that be?’_

She shook her head and continued walking, not knowing that the same wolf was now a human watching her leave the forest.

It would be a week before they’d see each other again.

\--

Sana sat on the bench, picking at her nails and looking up every so often to see if Momo would walk through the park again. It felt weird doing this. Momo didn’t know who she was and Sana was waiting here like she was waiting for a date.

At one point, Sana thought it was useless and prepared to stand up to go and shift into a wolf, but then she glanced up and saw her.

She was wearing the same coat from a week over, and boots with the smallest heels to them. Her hood was up and Sana could see her hair flowing down over her shoulders.

Momo.

Biting her bottom lip, she decided to stay there and see if Momo would sit down. But then Momo went a step further than that.

“Was kinda hoping I’d see the wolf again tonight. I wonder where it went.”

Sana’s cheeks went a little pink at the mention of _wolf._ Then realised Momo was talking about _her._ She had to hide her face so Momo wouldn’t notice her cheeks turn bright red, the only excuse she had being the weather, although she didn’t think it would be that convincing.

“Have you seen the wolf?” Momo suddenly asked, sitting down on the opposite end of the bench. Sana looked straight ahead.

_‘How am I supposed to answer that?’_

Technically, she _had_ seen the wolf, but then the wolf Momo was talking about was _her,_ so really, she _hadn’t_ seen the wolf, or, should her _being_ the wolf be classed as her _seeing_ it and…

“Hello?” Momo asked again, chuckling. Sana gulped and looked to her right. She settled for a tiny nod of the head. It wasn’t like Sana didn’t know what she looked like. “Beautiful creature, isn’t it?”

The blonde’s head was spinning. _‘Okay, how the fuck am I supposed to answer_ **_that?’_ **

“Um, yes, haha,” Sana chuckled, a bundle of nerves.

“I got this awesome picture of it, wanna see?”

Sana was taken aback at how talkative Momo was being. It still felt strange to her that she knew her name, but learned it while in her wolf form. Her head hurt.

“Oh, uh, yeah sure.” Sana smiled and Momo did too as she pulled out her phone, unlocked it and went to her gallery. Tapping the picture of the wolf, Momo showed Sana and the blonde blinked.

It was crazy to her that she was seeing herself in a picture for the first time. Many people came and went and took photos but Sana had of course never seen one. She became transfixed; seeing herself through someone else’s lens put a lot of things into perspective.

“I’ve never seen a wolf before,” Momo finally said, pulling her phone back to take another good look at the photo. “I was so proud of the picture I made it my wallpaper!”

Sana hid her face _immediately. ‘Holy shit, holy shit. Me in my wolf form is now her wallpaper. This is fine, this is 100% fine…’_

In a brief moment, Momo looked up and raised an eyebrow, “Hey, you okay?” She put her phone away and tilted her head to the side, noticing how Sana always avoided eye contact.

Timidly, Sana met her gaze, her cheeks red-hot, “Y-Yeah, I’m fine.” She mustered a smile, and Momo returned it. How a simple gesture could set Sana’s heart aflame, she didn’t know.

“I’m Momo, by the way.”

The dark-haired woman held out her hand. Sana looked at it quickly, then took hold of it and glanced back up.

“Sana.”

They shook hands gently.

When they let go of each other’s hands, Sana quickly pulled out her phone and checked the time. It wasn’t even late, but she just _needed_ to return to the house of her pack. “I’ve gotta go,” she said standing up. As she said her goodbyes and went to turn away, Momo called out to her.

“Sana, wait!”

Sana halted. Shut her eyes. The _way_ Momo said her name. It was too good to be true. Was Sana _really_ falling in love with her?

“We should...exchange numbers!” Momo said, standing. Spinning around, Sana bit her bottom lip.

“Should we now?” She couldn’t help the flirtatious way that question came out.

Momo eyed the floor briefly, then back up to meet Sana, “Yeah. We should.” Her tone was coy, and there was a tinge of pink forming on _her_ cheeks too.

Sana was trembling slightly, maybe from shyness, maybe from the cold.

But there was nothing that could stop her from pulling out her phone as Momo did the same and giving her her number. Once they exchanged phone numbers, the inevitable _call me_ tumbled out of Sana’s mouth.

Momo’s face was glowing against the light coming from the lamppost, “I will.”

They turned and parted ways.

Momo stopped for a second to look back at Sana. She couldn’t help a smirk forming as she put her hands along with her phone in her pockets.

Sana did the same a little while later.

As she strolled away, she decided that once she got back to the house, she was going to go for a late night run.

As her wolf of course.

\--

Once Momo got back home, she felt her phone vibrate. She checked it and saw a message from her friend, Jihyo.

Her Alpha, she should say.

_Mina and I are gonna go to Bomun Lake for a midnight run. It’s been too long. We’ve missed it._

Momo cocked her head to the side and typed out a message in response.

_Bomun Lake? Midnight? You got it, Alpha._

A little while later a reply came through.

_Yeah, I guess I have still got it._

An emoticon with its tongue sticking out. Momo scoffed a light chuckle.

It had been too long. _Far_ too long.

Momo missed it too.

\--

Bomun Lake was a beautifully tranquil place at midnight. Something about the way the nearby lights lit up the water made it look so much more magical. Momo may have _moved_ here three months ago, but that’s not to say she hasn’t been here before.

Bomun Lake was really the only place she came to. With her Alpha and Beta, of course.

She met them at the place where they always stripped to shift into their wolves. Matter of principle, really.

“Well, hello strangers,” she smirked as she came out from around the corner.

“Good evening to you too, Miss Hirai.”

Momo did a two-finger salute as she approached them. They were waiting for her to arrive and wasted no time getting out of their clothes and into their wolves. No one came to this lake at midnight, meaning it was the perfect spot for the three of them to go for a run.

Jihyo’s fur was ash brown. Mina’s fur was a dark taupe. Momo’s fur was dark auburn.

Once she shifted, Momo moved to stare at her reflection. It had been nearly four years since she last saw herself like this. _Four years._

She wondered why they hadn’t done this in so long. Then Jihyo’s telepathic message made it all make sense.

_That new pack think they’re all hot shit, and that new Omega is just another part of them._

_‘So_ **_that’s_ ** _what’s been putting her off.’_

Of course, she had no idea that the beautiful woman she met in the park was that new pack’s chosen Omega.

\--

“So you moved here about two months ago, huh?” Sana said down the phone, wanting to know more.

_“Yep! I just needed a change of pace. I always visited this place as a kid and teenager and knew one day I wanted to move here, so once I had the money I did!”_

Momo sounded so excited on the other end. A giggle bubbled up from inside Sana’s heart, a warm smile on her face.

_“So what about you? What do you do for a job?”_

“Oh, me?” Sana rubbed the back of her neck as she paced back and forth in her apartment. “I work as a telemarketer. You know, one of those annoying people who call about deals and services and things.”

_“What, those people who try and sell you shit over the phone?”_

“That’s the one!” Sana replied, sounding sarcastically enthused. Momo laughed.

_“I bet you’re a very persuasive telemarketer.”_

Sana couldn’t tell whether her comment was meant to be a genuine compliment or a flirtatious remark, so she decided to stay in the middle of the road.

“Haha, ask my coworkers if you really want to know,” she chortled.

There was a couple of seconds of comfortable silence before Momo said, “Um, I was wondering… Do you want to meet up for lunch at some point?”

Sana smiled, “I’d like that. When do you wanna meet?”

They discussed the days and times they were free and settled on the following Saturday at 1:30pm. A few more minutes passed and they chatted some more, before bidding each other goodbye and hanging up.

Momo felt butterflies in her stomach. Sana had really been occupying her thoughts since they first met. How attractive she was. Her shyness. Her smile. Her voice. It all stuck with Momo and made her heart pound to think about.

For Sana, while it was exciting, it was extremely daunting.

_‘What will happen when Momo finds out I’m part wolf? What if we become something more? What if? What if?’_

Sana kept on asking herself _what if_ until her brain could no longer take it and she collapsed down onto the sofa in a heap. She huffed and laid her head on the arm of the sofa, bringing her legs and feet up to rest at the other end.

She _knew_ she had to do something. It wouldn’t be long before Momo caught her in the act of shifting.

\--

Three weeks had passed, and in those three weeks Momo and Sana had been on four lunch dates, talked for hours over the phone, and had met up or bumped into each other in the park more than enough times.

They were taking it slow. No mention of the word _girlfriend_ yet.

Sana was on her break at work when she got a text message from Dahyun.

_Hey, Sana?_

_I just realised that mystery woman you met and have been going out on dates with_

_You haven’t actually told us her name or even introduced us_

_And look, I get it, you’re worried about the whole wolf thing_

_But you can at least give us a name_

Sana hummed to herself. Dahyun was right, it was odd that she hadn’t told her pack the name of the woman she had been hanging out with for the past three weeks.

_Fine, you win_

_Her name is Momo_

A little while later, Sana realised that her message had been seen, but there was no reply. She knitted her eyebrows together. Maybe Dahyun was busy so she couldn’t reply. Maybe Dahyun felt like she didn’t really _need_ to reply. Or maybe there was something else going on.

Sana shook her head of those thoughts. There was nothing going on.

_‘Dahyun would tell me if there was… Right?’_

She shook her head again.

Definitely nothing going on.

\--

Nayeon stuck her tongue out in her cheek, clearly exasperated, “I should’ve known.”

“You weren’t to know, Nay, none of us knew,” Chaeyoung said, rubbing Nayeon’s back comfortingly. The older woman snapped and brushed her hand off, and Chaeyoung winced. Nayeon instantly apologised.

“It’s okay, Nayeon, really. You’re pissed off that your Omega has fallen in love with the Omega of the opposing pack, I get it.”

“It’s not just that, it’s just… She revealed that she knew her name right from the moment they first met while she was a wolf. Why didn’t she say back then?”

“I’m guessing because Sana doesn’t _know_ that Momo is the Omega of the opposing pack?” Tzuyu chimed in.

“Bullshit, she’s _got_ to know.” Nayeon bit her nails.

Jeongyeon sighed from afar and moved to stand at her mate’s side. “Do you remember the night Sana shifted for the first time?” Nayeon stopped biting her nails to glance over at Jeongyeon and nod. “Remember how she acted? How she behaved?” Nayeon nodded once more. “She had no idea what you were talking about until you said those words.”

“Lapidibus propulsant decidit,” Nayeon recited.

Jeongyeon inclined her head, “And what do those words mean?”

Nayeon fell silent. She _did_ know, but Chaeyoung cut in, “Shield from fallen stones.”

 _“Exactly,”_ Jeongyeon replied. “Jihyo’s pack are the fallen stones. Sana will be her own shield. We will stand by her side. We will make sure she no longer sees her and we’ll definitely see to it that she _doesn’t_ meet her friends.”

“Traitors the three of them,” Nayeon spat.

Sana overheard.

She couldn’t believe them.

\--

Momo sat in a coffee shop across from her two best friends who were being all too adorable, feeding each other and kissing every chance they got.

_‘Imagine what this would be like with Sana…’_

Her Alpha and Beta were made for one another. They were attracted to each other from day one and sought to become the other person’s mate. When they finally _did_ become mates, it was like two pieces of a puzzle coming together in perfect harmony.

Momo stirred her coffee as Mina said, “So, tell us how things have been going with Sana. Dropped the girlfriend question yet?”

“Yeah I mean, it’s been a month, why aren’t you _official_ yet?” Jihyo wondered.

Resting her elbows on the table, Momo pondered it for a few seconds. “I guess we’re just taking things _very_ slowly.”

“A little _too_ slowly, maybe?” Jihyo teased. Momo glanced up at her through her lashes as Jihyo chuckled. Then her eyes flickered down to her coffee.

“Maybe. But I think that’s just how we like it right now. We’re seeing each other more, we’re going out on cute dates, holding each other’s hand even…”

“But no kissing yet?” Mina interjected.

“Uh, nope. No kissing yet,” Momo mustered a tiny laugh but it sounded empty. She had often thought about what it would be like to kiss Sana. She wondered if Sana felt the same way.

“Well, you’re meeting up with her again tonight, right? Do it then,” Jihyo suggested, lifting up her mocha to take a sip.

“Yep, ‘cause it’s _that’s_ easy,” Momo fired back.

Jihyo peered at her over the top of her mug as the older woman rolled her eyes, then took a sip of her americano.

“I bet Sana is thinking the exact same way as you,” said Mina.

“What do you mean?” Momo asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Come on, we can see right through you, we _know_ you want to kiss her. And I can almost guarantee Sana’s thinking the same! You just gotta, you know, go for it!”

“We’re rooting for you,” Jihyo stated, putting her cup back down.

Momo bit the inside of her bottom lip.

 _‘Tonight,’_ she thought, _‘tonight.’_

\--

It was like second nature to stroll through the park with Momo, hand in hand. It was like their hands were made for each other. Like _they_ were made for each other.

Like they could be _mates._

As soon as the thought entered Sana’s mind, it quickly disappeared again. There was no way Sana could be mates with a _human._ It was outrageous.

Except, Momo might have _not_ been a human.

Ever since she had overheard their conversation three nights ago, Sana had kept on thinking about Momo being a wolf first of all, and part of a traitor pack second of all.

She looked over at Momo, who was staring at the ground as they walked.

There was _no way._

But at the same time, she _had_ to know.

Sana stopped walking, and Momo turned to face her, “You okay?”

Grabbing Sana’s other hand, she tried to get the younger woman to meet her eyes.

Once Sana finally did, Momo could sense gravity within them. Like there was a weight on her shoulders, heavily burdening her.

“M-Momo?”

“Yes?”

“God, how do I even put this?” she began, almost to herself. Then, she stared straight into Momo’s eyes. “I’m… I’m a… Well, do you remember that picture you took, right here?”

That was the moment. Everything began to fall into for Momo. The puzzle pieces put _themselves_ together. It was all materialising in Momo’s mind.

She slowly shook her head, tears threatening to well up in her eyes. And that’s when it all began to make sense for Sana.

They both knew who they were. They both knew who the other person was.

They knew. _They knew._

And it crushed them. It hurt. It _killed._

And in that moment, tears wanting to fall down their faces, Momo grabbed Sana’s face and pulled her into the deepest kiss she could.

And Sana reciprocated. Kissed back with everything she had. Tried to let the kiss overpower the pain they were both feeling in their hearts.

They pulled at each other’s coats. Ran their hands through one another’s hair. Let their tongues explore. Filled each other with so much love they could hardly breathe. Like the only room for breathing was breathing each other.

They _knew_ who they were.

But they _loved_ each other. That much was certain.

But they were also from rival packs. Their Alphas, their Betas, would _not_ approve of this.

Sana’s pack knew. But Momo’s pack didn’t.

And Momo couldn’t even bear to think about it.

So they kept kissing. And kissing. Barely stepped back to take in oxygen before their lips met again, and again, and again.

And their wolves were _powerful._ Much like their kisses.

And Momo breathed the words she was so scared to utter, but they needed to be said.

 _“My_ mate. _My_ goddamn mate.”

Sana drank her words in like they were water.

And Sana fought back with an even more powerful, _“My_ mate.”

 _“Fuck,”_ Momo let out as she felt Sana’s lips on her neck. They needed someplace private.

“My...apartment,” Sana whispered against her skin. Momo nodded before pulling away and taking Sana’s hand. They ran together, back to Sana’s apartment.

Breathlessly, Sana fumbled opening the front door and they almost fell into the apartment, shutting it behind them.

They removed their coats and shoes with no rhyme nor reason before Momo was pinning Sana against the wall. She kissed down Sana’s neck and onto her chest before the blonde decided her top needed to come off.

Upon doing so, Momo did the same before she pulled Sana away from the wall and into her bedroom.

They couldn’t let their packs know about this. Momo fell onto Sana’s bed. Sana stood between her legs and leaned down to kiss her again, passionately, while Momo got to work removing her jeans.

Their wolves were _yearning_ for one another, and they weren’t far behind.

Momo lied down and let Sana undress her completely before she removed her own jeans. Sana then rested her knees onto the bed and their lips met again, Momo nearly scratching at Sana’s back to bring her closer.

Momo’s thoughts of how her pack would feel were clouded over by the sensation of Sana’s hand travelling lower and lower, her cool fingers dancing along Momo’s torso, hips, waistband of her underwear, and finally underneath where Momo really needed it. Her back arched off the bed as a moan escaped her lips.

“Shit!” she cried out, her hand reaching up to grab Sana’s hair and pull her down for another kiss.

 _“Ah,_ God!” Momo groaned, as Sana got faster. Shortly after, it was just breathless moans coming out as their foreheads touched. Sana brought her closer to the edge, and her lips met Momo’s collarbone once more.

It wasn’t long before Momo came undone, then pushed Sana onto her back.

She wasted no time planting kisses on Sana’s chest, stomach, inner thighs, neck, lips, forehead, nose, and then, her hip bone.

Sana took in a breath as she gripped onto Momo’s hair, “Please…”

There was nothing Momo wanted more than to make Sana feel good. Her _mate_ feel good.

And as Sana felt Momo’s lips against her, Sana couldn’t think of anything else _but_ that.

“God damn…” she almost whispered, shocked at the feeling.

The two of them didn’t want to think about the consequences of becoming each other’s mate. They just wanted to _be_ mates. Live together and be happy without their packs’ involvement.

Because even though they were from rival packs, there was no rivalry between _them._

And when Momo felt Sana tense, then relax, she moved back up to kiss Sana’s neck.

She was close to doing it. So close to marking her. She wanted Sana to be her mate.

And Sana wanted the exact same thing.

“Fuck!” Momo suddenly choked. She sat back on the bed and buried her face in her hands.

Sana sat up and moved inseparably close to her love, kissing her temple multiple times and whispering words of affection in her ear.

“Damn it!” Momo cried into her palms. “You _don’t_ know how badly I want to mark you right now.”

“Yes, I do,” Sana replied gently. Momo looked up at her. “I can feel it in here,” Sana indicated her heart and Momo grabbed her hand to press sweet, loving kisses to the back of it.

“I want you in my life, Minatozaki Sana.”

“Then mark me.”

The three words that Momo knew she was going to hear. Wanted to hear. Couldn’t bear to hear.

 _Needed_ to hear.

They stared at each other, and once Sana knew what was about to happen, she lied back down on the bed and saw Momo move to hover above her.

It was a quick, sharp, yet near painless bite. Sana gripped onto Momo’s shoulders as the older woman marked her, and it felt _so good._ They both felt complete.

Sana fell back onto the bed, passed out. They both knew that this was what was going to happen after marking.

Momo just knew that as soon as Sana regained consciousness, she would want to do the same to her.

It was completely unnecessary, but also absolutely necessary at the same time.

And as Momo stared at Sana, and pressed another kiss to her forehead, Momo wondered what she had done to get so lucky.

\--

“Sana’s the new pack’s chosen Omega,” Jihyo said, staring at the table in front of her. A repetition of what Mina had just told her, just so she could _try_ and get the information to register in her mind. _“Sana…”_ Jihyo struggled to get the words out, “is the _new_ pack’s...chosen Omega.”

The betrayal in her voice was paramount. She couldn’t believe that Momo would do this to them.

“Please, don’t be angry with Momo because of this. She must have had no way of knowing who the Omega of that pack was,” Mina tried to reassure her mate, but it wasn’t working.

“That’s a load of fucking rubbish!” Jihyo shouted. “She _had_ to know. She _had_ to.”

Mina came to stand by Jihyo’s side, “It’s not like _we_ knew the name of that pack’s Omega.”

“No, but now that we do we _can’t_ have them see each other anymore. What if they become mates?” Jihyo looked up at Mina, worry laced within her eyes.

Deep down, Mina wondered why they let this feud continue for as long as it had. She pulled Jihyo close to give her comfort, and Jihyo relaxed into Mina’s touch.

It was her, Nayeon, Mina and Jeongyeon.

Then it all went wrong.

\--

_Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Mina and Jihyo. The original four. The original wolf pack._

_Their world was perfect. Picturesque. They did everything together, with no cares in the world._

_Until they were completely split down the middle._

_“You treacherous bitch! How dare you go against the one rule we’ve stuck to since we became a pack!” Nayeon screamed, glaring at Jihyo, her face red with anger._

_“Not my fault you’ve got a stick up your ass!”_

_“I can’t fucking believe you!” Nayeon retaliated._

_“I don’t even know why we made that a rule anyway! You know I love Mina with my whole heart! You’re really going to stop me from being her mate because of some stupid outdated rule that says you can’t be mates with members of your own pack?” Jihyo shouted._

_Nayeon squeezed her eyes shut and exhaled through her nose, full of rage. “You must understand,” she opened her eyes, “there is a conflict of interest,” she looked up at Jihyo, “that can come with being mates with members of your own pack!”_

_“No, you’re just jealous because you’re in love with Jeongyeon and you haven’t got enough of a backbone to break your own rules!”_

_Nayeon stepped back. She blinked._

_“Get the fuck out.”_

_Jihyo looked Nayeon up and down. “My pleasure!”_

_Mina was standing watching them the whole time. Nayeon saw the brunette out of the corner of her eye._

_“Take your fucking mate with you! Both of you! Traitors!” yelled Nayeon, before turning her back and hugging herself tightly._

_She heard the door slam. Jihyo and Mina left them behind._

_Soon after, Jeongyeon appeared in the kitchen. “You’re...you’re in love with me?”_

_Nayeon spun around and saw her standing there. Her heart began to beat so fast._

_She was in love with Jeongyeon._

_“Jeongyeon, I…”_

_“Fuck the rules, Nayeon.”_

_Her words took the Alpha aback a ton._

_“J-Jeongyeon…”_

_“Let me be your Beta.”_

_Since the beginning, it was a one-woman show. Nayeon was the Alpha, and she had no Beta._

_But damn it, she wanted Jeongyeon to be her Beta. And not just that._

_She truly did want to be her mate._

_Nayeon immediately felt pathetic. She would be a hypocrite._

_Jihyo was right, but she could never admit that to herself._

_“I want you to my Beta, Jeongyeon…” she stuttered. “But... rules are rules.”_

_Jeongyeon didn’t know how to react for a while. Then, she looked up at Nayeon and said, “I will wait countless days until you realise that that rule means nothing anymore.”_

_And it took what felt like countless days. Nayeon still felt like a hypocrite._

_But the feeling of Jeongyeon finally marking her overpowered everything else._

_“Who’s the true traitor now?” Jihyo said to herself as she watched Nayeon and Jeongyeon from afar._

_Nayeon soon had her own new pack, with three new members._

_Jihyo and Mina then took Momo on board._

_Nayeon and Jeongyeon accepted Sana into their pack._

_Two new Omegas._

_The rules had changed, saying no member of the pack could be mates with a member of a rival pack._

_How love can be so uniting and yet, so divisive._

_Sana and Momo broke the mould._

_\--_

As soon as Momo met with her pack members at Bomun Lake, she instantly understood why they were being so quiet. Their facial expressions. How they looked at her yet also, _didn’t_ look at her.

“You are not allowed to see her again,” Jihyo said, sternly.

“Sorry?”

“I’ll rephrase that, shall I?” Jihyo was doing this deliberately, and Momo knew this. _“Don’t_ see her again.” Momo felt every emotion behind Jihyo’s stare. She swallowed thickly and looked down at the ground.

_‘Just nod. Make this simpler. Just nod. Just nod…’_

“Why?” she asked, glancing back up.

“Why?” Jihyo said, turning to face her completely, sounding offended that she even had to answer this question.

“Yes, why? Look, I get that you don’t like that new pack, you think their _hot shit,_ but why can’t Sana and I see each other? We have nothing to do with this?”

“Because,” Jihyo began to raise her voice, then relaxed her tense muscles again, _“because_ you don’t know what that pack might get their Omega to do in their favour. She could turn her into a _monster,_ because they’re _all_ monsters.”

Shaking her head slowly, Momo replied, “Sana is not like that. I don’t think her _pack_ is like that either!”

“Her Alpha kicked me and Jihyo out because we loved each other!” Mina snapped out of nowhere.

Momo stared down at Mina. “Wait...really?”

“Yes…” Mina said softly, almost inaudibly. “She had this old rule that said we weren’t allowed to be mates with members of our own pack.”

“She called me a treacherous bitch, then turned around and became mates with the other remaining member of her pack. And now, she has this _new pack.”_

“And there’s six members of that pack now, including Sana.”

“When did this happen?”

“About five years ago.”

Momo felt bad that Jihyo and Mina experienced what they did, but at the same time knew that Sana was not responsible for their actions.

“But…” she sighed, “Sana wasn’t even a _wolf_ when that happened!”

“But she’s surrounding herself with hypocrites.” Jihyo’s firm emphasis on the word _hypocrites_ made Momo’s spine tingle. “Who marked who?”

“What?”

“Who marked who?” Jihyo repeated.

“How do you even know that--”

“Because I can tell. It was a worry that occupied my mind for a while, but judging by your reaction it’s true, so _who_ marked _who?”_

Lose the trust of her best friends to be with the one she loves.

Potentially lose the one she loves by saying she did something that Momo herself did.

Momo knew that she hadn’t done anything wrong. So she stood, with her back straight, and stared at Jihyo.

“I marked her.”

“Then get out of my sight.”

But Momo was willing to fight back, “Don’t you know you sound like a _bigger_ hypocrite than Sana’s Alpha? Pushing someone out for being with the one they love?”

“You don’t love Sana. It was probably just lust. Temptation. Infatuation.”

“I’m going to tell you now that it was _none_ of those things. I love Sana. With all my heart. She is _not_ her pack and maybe, just maybe, the reason why her Alpha did what she did was because she saw the error of her ways!”

“Absurd! She’s just a hypocritical bitch who ruthlessly threw us out!”

“And what are you doing to me now?”

Jihyo looked at Momo. Mina stood by her side.

“You’re consorting with a member of our rival pack. You’re her _mate! You_ marked _her!_ You’re now our rival.”

Momo began to back away, “Well let me just say, you’re _wrong_ for thinking that her Alpha and Beta’s actions from the past have anything to do with Sana today.”

She then turned on her heels and stormed from the scene.

Jihyo stood there, shocked. Mina clasped a hand to her mouth.

It wasn’t long before Jihyo began to sob, and sob loudly. Mina wrapped her arms around Jihyo and held her close.

Momo was right, but she could never admit that to herself.

Parallels.

\--

It had been nearly a month since Sana and Momo became mates. Since they last saw each other. Since they last held hands, kissed, were in each other’s presence. The two of them rarely shifted into their wolves. They never returned to the forest where they first met.

Being someone’s mate, one has the need to be with them at all times. It’s like a magnet, pulling each person to the other, by the unmistakable force of knowing they love their mate with all of their hearts.

And when they are _not_ together, the repelling force is too much to bear, and it causes the heart to ache, ache some more, then feel like it’s bleeding.

Momo had every intention of seeing Sana, meeting with her, _being_ with her, and Sana had every intention of doing the same. But the repelling force was always there.

It was like a forcefield, keeping them away from one another. A shield.

_Lapidibus propulsant decidit._

_Shield from fallen stones._

Sana was her own shield. Momo was the fallen stones.

But Sana didn’t want to be her own shield, and Momo was never a single fallen stone to begin with.

They were just two Omegas who met by chance as humans and quickly fell in love.

They knew the other person back to front, inside out, yet their packs were preventing them from fully seeking and accepting the other’s love.

Because even though they were from rival packs, there was no rivalry between them.

Even though they were from rival pack, there was no rivalry between them.

Rival pack. Not rival Omegas.

Why did their pack have to have so much control?

Because they were Omegas, set to follow the rules of their Alphas, and the Betas who assisted them.

Their _mates._

It screamed of irony. A scoff that Sana and Momo let slip through at the same time due to their shared thoughts happening at the same time from opposite sides of Gyeongju.

They both considered eloping. Ditching their packs and moving away.

Then Momo remembered that she didn’t have a pack anymore.

And Sana remembered that she felt loyal to her pack. She felt like a traitor.

And that was why she could no longer see Momo.

She felt greatly indebted to her pack as much as she was insanely in love with Momo.

_You’re not in the wrong, Satang. And I love you so much._

Tears fell down Sana’s face. She gripped onto her pillow. The pillow Momo slept on that night.

_I love you, Momoring._

Their telepathic thoughts were the only way they could communicate. And it hurt the both of them.

_We will see each other again, my love._

Momo’s words were hopeful. Sana wished she could be as optimistic.

So she tried to be. She tried to be.

_I hope we will._

_We will, Sana. I love you._

_I love you too._

\--

“How do you feel about Sana and Momo?” Tzuyu asked as she sat beside Chaeyoung with Dahyun opposite them.

“Personally?” Chaeyoung lowered her voice. “They did nothing wrong. Nayeon and Jihyo have some shit to work out, and they’re the ones in the wrong.”

Dahyun nodded, “I agree. They’re pushing their past conflicts onto the two of them. That’s not right.”

Tzuyu signalled that she also agreed and said, “I just don’t want them to be stopped from seeing each other. They’re _mates._ It’s clear that they love one another.”

The three of them eyed the floor and fell silent.

“Maybe we could help them see each other again?” Chaeyoung proposed.

Dahyun’s head snapped up, “I… I respect your energy but...Nayeon will throw us out.”

“Well, Nayeon should know that she can’t do that anymore. Sana and Momo have done nothing wrong. They both need to see that.”

The three of them exchanged looks, then set about secretly planning how they were going to do it.

Later that night, in the same part of the woods Sana always used to go to before she stopped, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu made her close her eyes as they guided her along the pathway.

In the distance, Momo was standing there. She knew what was going to happen, but seeing Sana again nearly made her fall apart on the spot.

“Sana…” she breathed.

Immediately, Sana froze. Opening her eyes, she saw Momo in front of her. Her mate.

“Momo…”

Holding out her hand, Momo said, “Come here.”

But Sana couldn’t; her shield was still there.

“Shit,” Dahyun muttered under breath.

“How do we do this?” Tzuyu said, worried.

“I’m the only one who can,” Sana stated. She closed her eyes once more and repeated one phrase in Latin over and over.

_Momo is not a fallen stone._

_Momo is not a fallen stone._

_Momo is not a fallen stone._

Gradually, Momo stepped closer. They all knew exactly what she was saying.

And for the first time in a while, Sana shifted into her wolf, surprising everyone. Her clothes peeled off her and she opened her eyes and lifted her head. A howl escaped her lips.

Then, Momo quickly shifted into her wolf and did the same. They looked at one another and took careful steps towards one another, while the three others stood back and watched in awe.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Nayeon and Jeongyeon jumped in front of Sana in their wolf forms.

Jihyo and Mina weren’t too far behind, and stood in front of Momo.

They growled and grunted at one another. _If Sana won’t be her own shield, we’ll be here shield!_ Nayeon spoke telepathically. She and Jeongyeon turned the three people standing behind Sana.

_How could you?!_

_You betrayed our trust!_ Jeongyeon chimed in.

“We did no such thing!” Chaeyoung argued. “It’s not theirs nor our fault for your past problems with two people who actually did nothing wrong!”

This struck a chord with Nayeon, and she leaped to pounce on Chaeyoung, who quickly shifted before she could be pinned down as a human.

 _Nayeon!_ Tzuyu shouted. _Get off her!_ She then changed into her wolf and knocked Nayeon off her mate, before Jeongyeon came around on the left side and knocked Tzuyu off to stop the internal pack fighting.

 _How can Chaeyoung say that?_ Nayeon shouted.

 _Because she knows it’s true!_ Jihyo retorted.

_You…_

Nayeon slowly crept towards Jihyo, who did the same towards Nayeon. Everyone was on guard. Dahyun quickly shifted into her wolf to try and bring some peace between them.

_Come on, please don’t do this. This isn’t right, nor is this fair on Sana and Momo!_

_This isn’t about them now. This is about us, and them,_ Nayeon told her.

 _But us and them involves Sana and Momo!_ Chaeyoung yelled from the back.

 _Shut up, Chae!_ Nayeon growled.

 _You just never like to admit when you're wrong, huh, Nayeon?_ Jihyo asked, a certain smug air to her tone.

 _Neither do you,_ Momo suddenly said from behind her Alpha and Beta.

Nayeon stood up straight and lifted her head.

 _Don’t, Momo,_ Mina said.

_Why not? She’s just as bad! I don’t even know why you’re protecting me, you kicked me out of the pack!_

_Well, well, well,_ Nayeon spoke.

 _Don’t think this puts you on any kind of pedestal,_ said Jihyo.

 _Listen, you’re both as bad as each other!_ Sana piped up.

Everyone suddenly stopped to listen to her, sensing she had more to say.

_Nayeon, you believed in an outdated rule and made Jihyo and Mina leave because of it. And then, you turned around and became Jeongyeon’s mate. And from what I hear, Jihyo, you did the same to Momo because she wants to be with me!_

_Why did you throw us out then turn around and do the same thing?_ Jihyo asked.

_You were right, Jihyo!_

Everyone froze. They all stood stock-still.

Nayeon eyed the floor. _You were always right._

Jihyo then shifted back into human form. Nayeon glanced up, then did the same.

As Alphas, they were always dressed when shifting back into their human form.

“So...you admit that you were wrong.”

Nayeon couldn’t meet her eyes. She gulped. “Yes… Yes I was in the wrong. You were always right. The rule was stupid. Outdated. Awful. I should’ve taken the rule away and...not kicked you out.”

Jihyo glanced towards the sky. She could feel her eyes welling up.

“I’m...I’m sorry, Jihyo.” Nayeon finally looked at her. “I am _so_ sorry. I should’ve known better than to enforce an archaic rule that makes no sense. I was wrong, and...I’m sorry.”

She cowered away, and Jihyo watched her turn her back. Nayeon said nothing else. She just wanted to get across how sorry she was. How much she regretted it. How much of a hypocrite she felt for doing what she did.

Jihyo turned to Momo.

“I’m sorry, Momo.”

Everyone turned to look at Jihyo. Momo glanced up at her.

“I was wrong. You deserve to be with your mate. Mine and Mina’s conflict with Nayeon had _nothing_ to do with you and...I should have _never_ kicked you out for wanting to be with your mate.”

Mina sat down and looked at her mate, who glanced back at her briefly before turning her attention to Momo again.

“I’m sorry, Sana,” Nayeon said out of the blue, turning to the wolf in question. “Momo is your mate. And you clearly love each other. I pulled you away from her and I shouldn’t have, and I apologise wholeheartedly.”

Sana saw the tears streaming down her Alpha’s face. From the opposite end, Momo looked at her.

So, Sana looked back. She walked over. Momo met her in the middle.

And they nuzzled each other.

_Mates._

Nayeon and Jihyo appeared at their side, mirroring one another.

“You absolutely don’t have to, but, if you could find it in your heart to forgive me, I…” Nayeon began, but Jihyo suddenly stepped forward and took her hand.

The feeling nearly made Nayeon break down.

“I _do_ forgive you, if you could forgive me.”

“Why do I have to forgive you? You did nothing wrong.” Nayeon wiped her eyes and her cheeks.

“I didn’t encourage communication when our argument happened. We could have sat down, talked about it, but we got angry, and that’s partly my fault.”

Nayeon bit her bottom lip. She watched Jihyo look down at Momo.

“Will you forgive me?”

Momo looked back up at her. It didn’t take long for her to decide.

_I forgive you._

Jihyo stroked Momo’s fur and the wolf relaxed into her touch. Her Alpha then turned to Sana and apologised to her too, to which Sana bowed her head to show her forgiveness. Nayeon did the same with Momo, and got the same response. Forgiveness.

Forgiveness which neither Jihyo nor Nayeon thought they deserved.

Forgiveness the two of them weren’t going to take for granted.

The others around them watched as Nayeon and Jihyo came together and hugged. Jeongyeon and Mina saw one another and moved to stand by their mates’ side before bowing their heads. Dahyun beckoned Chaeyoung and Tzuyu over to stand with them.

Dahyun didn’t care that she didn’t have a mate.

She was just glad to see peace around her.

Love was no longer divisive.

It was only uniting.

\--

It was now December, and the nine of them had become the strongest wolf pack imaginable. They were definitely better together.

Sana and Momo decided to go for another walk as humans around the forest where they first met and once they reached the same bench, they sat down beside one another.

Sana pointed at the rock in front of them, “I was perched on that rock when you saw me.”

Momo smiled, “Indeed you were, and looking back, you were _definitely_ posing for me.”

A blush formed on the blonde’s cheeks, “I was _not…”_

“Oh, come on,” Momo chuckled, “you can’t even deny it!”

Eyeing her, Sana couldn’t help giggling and saying, “Okay, okay, I was _sort of_ posing.”

“That was _sort of_ posing?” Momo asked, pointing at the rock in front of her with her thumb to indicate that time.

“Okay, I _was_ posing for you.”

Momo folded her arms and nodded once, proud that she was able to get a confession out of Sana. She then felt Sana rest a hand on her thigh and kiss her on the cheek out of the blue. Momo didn’t let her back away before she captured Sana’s lips and cupped her cheek. Sana smiled into the kiss and pulled Momo closer, and they kept kissing on the bench, their fingers getting tangled in one another’s hair.

Once they parted, there was a knowing look in their eyes.

“Shall we?” Sana said, holding out her hand.

“Let’s,” Momo smirked, taking her hand as they walked back to their house.

The pack lived together now, and when they both entered, they went upstairs to their bedroom.

It was hard to keep quiet when they made each other feel so good.

\--

Historically, wolf packs only had one Alpha and one Beta.

But the nine of them realised that having both Nayeon and Jihyo as Alphas, and both Jeongyeon and Mina as Betas, was _so_ much better.

More communication. More shared leadership. Less arguments. Less feuds.

It really turned out to be better for everyone.

Nayeon and Jihyo took their time patching things up between them, and it _did_ take time, but they got to a stage where they were able to stand beside each other as Alphas and lead the pack together.

And whenever they didn’t see eye to eye, they would talk about it.

Jeongyeon and Mina were never enemies, yet took their time growing closer and were now very good friends. They were no longer just assistants to their mates. They were on the same level. It was never _Alpha with their Beta,_ but now _Alpha_ **_and_ ** _their Beta._

As for the Omegas, Sana and Momo discovered that they were always destined to be together.

It was fate. Two Omegas from two packs that were once each other’s nemeses, but were now joined together once again with the other members.

Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu.

Chaeyoung and Tzuyu were the cutest mates. The two youngest in the pack, everyone thought they were the most adorable and beautiful. They seemed like opposites to Nayeon and Jeongyeon, yet there were attracted to one another. They loved one another. And it wasn’t long before they became mates.

As for Dahyun, Dahyun was at one point fine with the fact that she didn’t have a mate, but slowly started thinking about whether or not she would _ever_ find a mate.

The other pack members reassured her that she would one day find her mate.

And a part of Dahyun knew they were right.

\--

Alone, Dahyun decided to go for a walk out in the woodland area surrounding the house. She kicked at the ground as she walked and had her hands in her pockets.

As she strolled through the woods, she heard something in the distance.

Her head looked in every direction to try and find the source of the sound, until her eyes fell upon a lone wolf lying on the ground.

Her mind travelled to who it could be, then realised that everyone else was at home. She ran up to the wolf and immediately started talking to it, “You okay? What’s up, wolf?”

She touched the wolf’s chocolate brown fur gently and it jolted awake, jumped back and growled at her.

Dahyun quickly backed away. She decided against shifting in case it was a full wolf, but then, she witnessed the wolf shift.

Blinking, Dahyun nearly covered her eyes and look away as she noticed the woman sitting there was naked. “Um, I am _so_ sorry!”

“Please...don’t apologise.” The woman crawled over to where her clothes were and quickly changed. “I sometimes wonder why we have to do this when we want to shift into our wolves.” Dahyun heard the woman chuckle. Soon after, she stepped out from behind the bush and smiled at Dahyun.

Slowly, Dahyun bit her bottom lip as she took in the stranger’s features. Long black hair that went down to her elbows, with brown eyes that held a lot of sadness yet joy. A strange mix of emotions that made Dahyun tilt her head to the side. She was almost mesmerised by her eyes. The woman’s cheeks were slightly flushed from the cold, but there was also a blush forming.

“You’re part of the pack that lives over there, right?” the stranger asked.

“Um, I… yes,” Dahyun replied. She wondered how the woman knew.

“I’ve been so intrigued by your pack. I’ve just been wandering around this forest for days. I shifted not too long ago but, I didn’t have a pack to go to. My parents aren’t wolves, you see.”

Dahyun eyed the floor. They shared the same experience.

Was this also fate?

“What’s your name?” she asked the stranger, looking back up at her.

“Gahyeon,” she blushed.

“Gahyeon. I’m Dahyun.” Gahyeon nodded and held out her hand for Dahyun to take, which she did, and they shook hands.

“Come back to the house with me,” Dahyun offered, putting her hand back in her pocket.

“A-Are you sure?” Gahyeon stuttered.

“Of course.” Dahyun stood to the side and allowed Gahyeon to walk alongside her. The taller woman smiled widely and joined her. “So, you mentioned that you didn’t have a pack to go to.”

“Oh, um, no… As I said, my parents aren’t wolves, so they instantly thought I was weird and kicked me out when I shifted for the first time. I had no choice but to shift there and then, it was just...happening, you know?” Gahyeon struggled to explain herself, her teeth almost chattering.

Dahyun nodded in understanding, “I didn’t have a pack to go to either when I first shifted. That’s when they found me and took me in. I’m so grateful to them.”

“And I’m so grateful to you for allowing me to come with you.”

“Don’t mention it, I wasn’t going to leave you out in the cold,” Dahyun smiled, and Gahyeon mirrored her. When Gahyeon brought her hands up to try and blow hot air onto them to warm them up, Dahyun knitted her eyebrows together.

“Hey, here you go.” Dahyun removed her gloves and passed them to Gahyeon, who was taken aback, and asked her if she was sure. Dahyun nodded and insisted Gahyeon take them. She did, gratefully, and put the gloves on before putting her hands back in her pockets. Dahyun smiled as they got nearer to the house.

Chaeyoung saw them through the kitchen window and her mouth gaped open in surprise.

“Guys! Guys! Guys, guys, guys!” she shouted, running through the house. “Dahyun’s bringing someone home! Dahyun’s bringing someone home!”

“What? What? What?” Nayeon said, walking to the hallway.

“Dahyun’s met someone!” Chaeyoung told her as she ran to tell the rest of the pack members.

Soon enough, Dahyun walked through the door with Gahyeon on her tail, and was greeted by Nayeon’s curious face.

“Oh, hey Nayeon.” Dahyun stepped to the side and allowed Gahyeon to walk through before shutting the door. Once they were standing beside each other, and the rest of the pack were in the hallway, Dahyun introduced the new arrival, “Everyone, this is…”

“Gahyeon?”

Tzuyu’s voice was tiny but seemed loud. Gahyeon looked up and saw her standing there. Her childhood friend.

“Tzuyu?”

“Wait, you know each other?” Chaeyoung questioned, a little confused.

“Yes!” Tzuyu said excitedly. “Gahyeon!”

“Tzuyu!”

They ran and hugged in the middle of everyone. They hugged for a long time, and everyone watched them, exchanging looks.

The two of them were so happy to see each other after so long. The last time they saw each other was when they were ten years old, after Gahyeon moved away.

“Nine years, Tzu,” Gahyeon said softly, thinking she was going to cry.

“How has it been that long?”

Gahyeon pulled away and looked at Tzuyu before looking back at Dahyun. She still gave Dahyun those warm, comforting eyes.

Tugging at her bottom lip, she observed the two childhood friends hug once more then go into the kitchen to catch up.

_‘I’m so happy that they’ve reunited. It must be so insane but so amazing to see someone again that you haven’t seen in so long.’_

“Don’t tell me,” Chaeyoung said, snapping Dahyun out of her thoughts, “you’ve got a little crush on Gahyeon.”

Dahyun blinked and stared at the younger woman, “I uh, what?”

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes, “I can see it, I can _always_ see it.” She shrugged, looking all too pleased at herself for figuring something out that Dahyun hadn’t even come to terms with yet.

But as Dahyun saw Gahyeon speak to Tzuyu, she noticed the little things Gahyeon would do. Every time she ran a hand through her hair. Every time she glanced over at Dahyun with _those_ eyes. Every time she wrapped a few strands of hair around her finger.

Later on that night, Chaeyoung sat in Dahyun’s room with her, and the latter began explaining what happened.

“She shifted right in front of me,” Dahyun stated.

Chaeyoung almost spat out the tea she was drinking. “You what?”

Dahyun folded her arms and looked back at Chaeyoung, “She shifted right in front of me.”

“That must mean she was…”

“Yep.”

Chaeyoung’s eyes widened as she took another sip of her tea. She rested the mug on her thighs and said, “Why is that even a rule? Like, it’s so dumb.”

“I think it’s because our shift isn’t magical per se but our bodies physically contort to transform into wolves and--” Chaeyoung stared at Dahyun, trying to tell her it was a rhetorical question. “But yeah, you know, you’re right it _is_ dumb.”

A few seconds passed before Chaeyoung asked, “Do you think Gahyeon has a crush on you?”

“Pfft, why would she? We barely know each other. We just met today. There’s no reason for her to have a crush on me.”

“But you already have a crush on her,” Chaeyoung replied, drinking down the rest of her tea.

“No I don’t.”

“Okay, yeah, and it’s not snowing outside right now.”

Dahyun looked out of the window on her right. “It isn’t.”

Chaeyoung looked left and right and then said, “Well then...there’s no snow on the ground outside.”

Dahyun rolled her eyes then looked back at Chaeyoung.

At that moment, Gahyeon appeared at the door and knocked, “Hey.”

“Oh, hey,” Dahyun said.

“Hi,” said Chaeyoung. They both smiled in a friendly manner. Gahyeon shyly picked at her fingernails.

She looked at Dahyun, “I was um, wondering if you wanted to go the mall with me? So I can shop for new clothes. I only have the money in my purse but your Alphas have kindly lent me some money so I can buy some more things.”

Dahyun briefly eyed Chaeyoung, then looked back up at Gahyeon, “I’d love to.” She stood up as a broad grin appeared on Gahyeon’s face. 

Dahyun then looked back at Chaeyoung who insisted that the two of them go alone, and when they bid everyone goodbye and left the house, Chaeyoung found Tzuyu in their bedroom and wrapped her arms around her shoulders from behind.

“This was your idea, wasn’t it?” Chaeyoung whispered into her ear.

“Mhm,” Tzuyu replied proudly.

“Smooth moves.”

They looked at one another before the older woman pressed her lips to Tzuyu’s.

“They’ll be mates in no time I reckon,” Tzuyu hummed.

“Oh, you think?” Chaeyoung raised an eyebrow as they kissed again.

“Uh-huh,” the younger woman replied as she wrapped a hand around Chaeyoung’s neck and deepened the kiss. Chaeyoung moved to sit on Tzuyu’s lap and she ran her fingers through her mate’s hair. Their hearts pounded as they felt no distance between them.

Chaeyoung pulled back slightly, “Do you remember how we became mates?”

“Mm, yeah. I was the newest member of this pack. You were drawn to me immediately,” Tzuyu teased as they kissed again.

“Can you blame me? You transformed my heart into a bundle of fire that day. I don’t know where I learned to be such a flirt.”

“Oh yeah, you were a little flirt, weren’t you?” Tzuyu smirked. Chaeyoung raised her eyebrows before she felt Tzuyu’s lips against her neck. Her eyes fluttered shut from the feeling.

“Yeah but...ah...you weren’t...far behind.”

“No, I... guess I wasn’t.” Tzuyu tried to focus yet couldn’t at the feeling of Chaeyoung gripping onto her hair. “But I...was also attracted to you, you know.”

“No, I _didn’t_ know that,” Chaeyoung said playfully, to which Tzuyu nudged her jaw with her nose before going back to kissing her sweet spot. They continued in that position for a while before Chaeyoung said, “Let us go back to the night I marked you.”

“Right behind you, babe.”

\--

Downstairs, the remaining six members of the pack were sitting in the lounge, drinking a glass of red wine each and talking among themselves. Nayeon and Jeongyeon were cuddled up next to each other, Jihyo had her head on Mina’s thighs, her glass of wine on the floor, and Sana and Momo were sat on the floor, Sana in between Momo’s legs, her head against the older woman’s shoulder.

“You never actually told us how you and Mina, well, discovered that you were mates,” Jeongyeon began, taking a sip of her wine, “how did you know?”

Jihyo glanced up at Mina, “Are you gonna tell her?”

Mina rolled her eyes, a smiling forming, “I guess I shall.” She put her glass down on the end table then rested her hand on Jihyo’s hip. “Well, _always known_ is a bit of a boring answer…”

Jihyo feigned offence, “How dare you!” She looked up and Mina stuck her tongue out, giggling afterwards.

“I’m joking! I honestly think that’s the answer right there. We just always knew. Like you and Nayeon,” Mina explained, looking up at the other couple.

Nayeon and Jeongyeon glanced at one another before looking at Mina and Jihyo.

“I guess when you like someone, it’s just something you know from the start,” Nayeon said. “For me, it was when Jeongyeon complimented me on my smile for the first time.”

“For me, it was when Mina told me my eyes shone brighter than the stars.” Mina covered her face to hide her embarrassment as the others laughed.

“No _way_ did she use that line!” Momo said, taking a small gulp of her wine.

“She absolutely did!” Jihyo replied.

Mina exhaled, “Yep, I _did_ say that, didn’t I?”

They all chuckled as they continued drinking. Looking over at Sana and Momo, Jihyo asked, “What about you two?”

“Well, I met Sana for the first time while she was a wolf, go figure, and I said she's the most beautiful wolf ever. Now, I didn’t know at the time that she was Sana when I met her in the same part of the park that night, but I pretty much asked for her number immediately.”

Sana nodded along with the story. The others look surprised.

“Wow, so it was pretty much like a love at first sight thing then?” Nayeon wondered.

“Yeah, I’d say so,” Sana agreed.

“Definitely fate,” Jeongyeon said, sipping her drink.

“Maybe it’ll be like that for Gahyeon and Dahyun,” said Mina after a time.

They all pondered it for a while. “I wonder if Gahyeon knows,” said Sana.

“I wonder if Dahyun will tell her,” Momo added.

“I guess we will find out,” Jihyo said.

\--

The mall wasn’t too busy, and Gahyeon was spoiled for choice.

“I don’t even know where to start! All of these shops have such nice clothing, you’ve gotta help me choose!”

Dahyun chuckled as she looked around, “Have you ever been here before?”

“Oh, no, maybe once or twice when I was a child, but not since then. I moved away when I was ten.”

Dahyun immediately became curious, “What brought you back here?”

“My parents missed this place too much, so they decided they wanted to move back here,” Gahyeon shrugged. “Seems silly I know, but I’m glad I did move back here.” She smiled at Dahyun, and Dahyun smiled back at her. “It’s a bit like fate.”

“I guess so.”

They locked eyes for a brief second, before they had to break eye contact, blushing uncontrollably.

They walked into many shops, and browsed for hours. Every so often, they would catch a glimpse of one another and not be able to look away for a while.

It was mid-afternoon, so they decided to have some lunch. Sat across from each other, they laughed and chatted about anything and everything, and Dahyun couldn’t help but feel that it was so easy talking to Gahyeon.

And they both knew that they wanted to keep talking and meeting like this for a long time.

\--

It was their first Christmas together, and that meant it was chaos in the house.

“Oh my God, you lot, stop acting like goddamn kids!” Jihyo yelled above the noise as Nayeon laughed. Jihyo looked up at her, “I feel like I’m their Mum!”

“Join the club! Oi, Chae!” said Nayeon.

“If you think about it, all four of us are like parents to them-- Chae! We said no running around the forest until _after_ dinner!” Jeongyeon called out to the younger one, who was about to shift into her wolf. She groaned then walked back into the house, Tzuyu, Dahyun and Gahyeon following close behind.

“I’ve set the table!” Momo shouted from the living room, Sana by her side. She felt a kiss on the cheek, and looked towards her mate. Her Omega.

Sana looked around as the others came to sit down at the table. As she did so as well, she looked back on the last few months and how crazy they were.

Momo held onto her hand as their two Alphas and Betas brought the food and drink in. After dinner, they would be going outside to shift into their wolves and all go for a run.

 _This_ was the reason they were wolves.

So they could all come together.

Sana and Momo interlocked hands. Tzuyu pressed a kiss to Chaeyoung’s temple. Dahyun and Gahyeon pulled a Christmas cracker. Nayeon poured everyone a glass of champagne while Jeongyeon carved the turkey. Jihyo began passing the bowls of vegetables around and they all filled up their plates while Mina waited for the right moment to propose a toast.

Once they were all satisfied with the amount of food they all had, Mina stood.

“I would just like to make a toast...to Sana and Momo.”

“To Sana and Momo!” all but the two women in question said in unison. They were surprised that Mina was making a toast to them.

“Thank you for being the ones to bring us together. You’ve transformed us from two rival packs, into one united pack. Thank you so much,” said Mina. She lifted her glass, and everyone else did too, before they clinked glasses and all took a sip.

They all put their glasses down as Mina took a seat again.

“Also, welcome Gahyeon! It’s an honour to have you as a part of our pack,” Dahyun suddenly said, and they all made another toast to Gahyeon and took yet another sip of their champagne before eating.

Sana glanced around and took in the atmosphere as she ate. She looked at each member of the pack, and finally her eyes landed on the woman that changed everything.

Momo noticed she was looking at her, but that her eyes were distant, “Sana? Everything okay?”

Blinking, Sana stared straight into Momo’s eyes and nodded quickly, “Of course.” Her tone of voice was genuine, and Momo’s eyes sparkled against the light. Sana rested a hand on her thigh, before kissing her lips. “Everything is _more_ than okay,” she whispered.

Out of nowhere, a Christmas cracker appeared. Sana drew back and chuckled, before taking the other end and pulling. When it made its signature _bang_ sound, they found that Momo had won. She cheered, and Sana pouted.

“It’s okay, you can take the hat,” Momo said, pulling out and placing it on Sana’s head. Giggling, she said, “Keep that on when we go for our run!”

“I’ll _try_ to, unless it falls off my head.”

They laughed, and kept laughing. Their hearts were warm and full.

And they were so unbelievably okay.

\--

 _You can’t throw a snowball when you’re a wolf, Chae!_ Tzuyu said.

_I can certainly try!_

Chaeyoung got to work trying to create a snowball with her mouth, but it dissipated before she could even throw it. They all shook their heads, laughing internally.

 _Told you!_ Tzuyu teased. Chaeyoung grunted, a little annoyed that she couldn’t, but they carried on walking.

The ten of them took a stroll through the woods, before Nayeon suggested they all have a race.

 _We need to set it up properly then!_ Jeongyeon said.

_Not a chance! Race you to the big oak tree!_

They all began running with everything they had. Nayeon was in the lead, but then Jeongyeon took over. Jihyo briefly took second place, while Mina kept a comfortable fourth position.

That was until Chaeyoung sped past them all and ran by Nayeon’s side. Tzuyu passed Mina but stayed behind Jihyo, and Dahyun ran past Jihyo completely.

 _Keep up!_ she shouted.

Suddenly, Gahyeon sped up and weaved through the other wolves until she was in the lead.

Sana and Momo decided not to participate. Instead, they lagged behind, slowly walking side by side, taking in their scenery.

Snow sat atop the branches, and it was just cold enough that every time they exhaled, they could see their breath forming in tiny clouds. Their paws were leaving imprints in the snow, and it hadn’t stopped since that morning.

 _How mad do you think they’ll be that we’ve decided not to race them?_ Momo asked Sana.

 _I think they’ll be pretty pissed,_ Sana joked.

It wasn’t long before the eight who raced met under the giant oak tree. They looked back to see Sana and Momo walking slowly towards them. _Why didn’t you run as well?_ Jihyo called out to them.

 _We just decided not to! Thought it might be better,_ Momo replied.

 _Well just for that, you can both race against each other now!_ Nayeon told them. The couple gazed at one another, before Sana nodded her head to the side.

 _Next oak tree along?_ Momo asked.

_You’re on!_

And just like that, they started to run. Two Omegas against each other. And they sprinted past their pack as the other members howled at them. Their form of cheering.

Running through the forest felt like absolute bliss. Sana used to do this all the time when she was by herself, and sometimes she would do this with the five other members of her pack.

Momo used to do this to, by Bomun Lake. With Mina and Jihyo. It gave them a sense of pride.

Feeling the wind through their fur, their tails swaying as they ran, it was the most magical feeling in the world. They were free.

Suddenly, they saw the rest of their pack appear at their side. The journey to the next oak tree along was a little longer, but it would all be worth it in the end.

It would all be worth it to meet again as ten.

It would all be worth it to reach their destination and still have one another.

And it felt good to Sana that she was able to call Momo her mate.

As she ran, she remembered the night they first met. She remembered the night they first kissed. The moment they _knew_ that they were meant to be mates. And as she stopped at the tree, Momo by her side, she immediately nuzzled against her before tackling her to the floor.

Momo looked up at her, before they knocked foreheads. Looking towards the rest of their pack, the other members instantly knew to give them some private time.

They didn’t care about the cold, or the snow, or anything else.

Once they shifted back into humans, they shared the longest kiss they had probably ever had.

Momo cupped Sana’s face. Brought her in closer. Their lips locked, Sana rested her hand on Momo’s stomach.

When they pulled away, they looked deeply into one another’s eyes.

“I love you, Sana.”

“I love you too, Momo.”

They were each other’s mate. And they were each other’s mate for life.

Truly transformed.


End file.
